Technology:

The Greek alphabet

• The Greeks developed a 24 letter alphabet
• Between 750 b.c. and 500 b.c. the military and other wealthy land owners had weapons, helmets and chariots made out of bronze
• Around 650 b.c. the use of iron to make tools and weapons replaced the use of bronze, this made helmets, shields and swords affordable for ordinary citizens

Greek-style bronze armor

• Only the sons of wealthy families could afford to attend formal education
• Boys started school at the age of 7
• The purpose of school was to prepare them to be good citizens and skilled public speakers when they grew up
• At school they study poetry, grammar, history, mathematics and music; they also learned to read and write, and were trained in logic and public speaking
• The boys spent part of every day participating in athletics
• And when they were older they received military training
• Girls did not attend a formal school
• They were educated at home by their mothers
• They learned how to weave cloth, make clothing, cook meals, manage a household, raise children and other skills they needed to become good wives and mothers
• Some girls learned to read and write and even a few girls became accomplished writers

Education in Classical Greece: pottery depicting students being instructed in speech and learning to play the lyre

• At the age of 7 boys began their military training
• The moved into military barracks were they live until they are 30 years old
• The living conditions in the barracks were harsh: they endured hard exercise (marching, fighting, ext.), slept on wooden benches with no blankets for warmth, and received a coarse diet of about 1 bowl of black porridge a day
• "To develop cunning and supplement their diet, boys were encouraged to steal food. If caught, thought, they were beaten."
• Girls also recieved some military training and were tought to exercise and strengthen themselves
• Unlike other Greek women, Spartan girls ran, wrestled and played sports